Familia
by Crowded Angels
Summary: [HYR]Yelina gets a frantic call from Horatio to hide...[During Pro Per]


I'm more of a Callratio than I am a Horatio/Yelina, but i really love Yelina and am gutted that she's going bye-bye. So this came about:D

* * *

Yelina Salas followed the sound of the ringing telephone. She walked from the kitchen, past Ray Jr and Stevie playing on the Playstation and into the foyer.

"Hello?" she asked, picking up the receiver

"Yelina, where are you?" Horatio's voice replied, edged with worry and urgency.

"Home, why? Stevie's fine"

"You need to get out. Take the kids and go to the back of the house. Anywhere but the rooms facing the street"

"Horatio, what is it?"

"Please, Yelina, just do it"

"I will, but tell me why"

"They know where Stevie is. I'm on my way now, just please: hide" he hung up, leaving a stunned Yelina on the other end

"Ray! Stevie!" her voice shrieked

"In here, Mom" Ray replied from the living room.

The phone dropped from her hand as she ran to her son. "Get up. Follow me" she ordered, pulling the kids from the sofa

"Mom! What're you doing?"

Rick Stetler turned the corner, the excitement attracting him with a confused look "What is it, Yelina?"

"We need to get out. We need to hide. _Now_" she said, pushing the kids into the kitchen

"What? Why? Who was on the phone?"

"Horatio. One of Byron's lackeys is on his way"

"What?" Stevie asked, his young face personifying the fear in his voice

"It's alright, Stevie, you're going to be fine" she put her arm around him, holding him close to her body

"Where can we go?" Rick asked, his voice actually calm

"Er, I don't know" her mind raced. They needed to be away from the street according to Horatio. Her head swivelled in search for hiding places.

That's when the sound of a car stopping caught her heightened senses.

Maybe it was Horatio.

A shot rang out.

The four of them ducked as they ran to corner. It was unlikely any bullets could make it into the rear kitchen but human instinct made them curl, as a myriad of shots attacked the family home.

Yelina sat, Stevie and Ray Jr at her sides. Her arms slung protectively over them, their quivering bodies leaning into her shoulders. Rick crouched down in front of them all, guarding them with his body.

When the gunfire ceased, and tyres screeched into the distance, the sound of the door crashing open and Horatio's voice rang out "Yelina! Ray! Stevie!"

"You okay?" she asked the boys. They nodded their heads. She planted a kiss on each of them, standing up. "Rick, can you stay with Ray Jr while I make sure Stevie's okay?"

"Sure"

"C'mon" she whispered, helping Stevie up. He wrapped his arms around Yelina's waist, so she slung an arm around his shoulders holding his tight "it's okay" she cooed

"Yelina" Horatio breathed, seeing her round the corner "Are you okay?"

"We're fine, aren't we?" she said, looking to Stevie. Horatio escorted them outside, watching as she placed the young boy in the waiting police car. She crouched down by the open door "You're okay" she reassured "You're going to go with this police officer and go back to the station. He's going to wait with you until your aunt gets in, okay?" he managed a nod.

She gave him a sympathetic smile and brushed her hand through his curly hair "Everything's okay. You're safe now. Nothing is going to happen to you" she smiled again and got up to join Horatio.

Her arms wrapped around her mid-drift, effectively hugging herself

"I, er, I don't know what to say other than I'm sorry to put you and Ray Jr in the middle of this" Horatio uttered. His head kept scanning the road, watching for the shooters car. His voice was crackly and gravely, true emotion waiting to break.

Yelina swallowed. Not only had her own and that of her sons lives been endangered, but she knew that this whole experience was going to help Horatio, not with Speed's death being so fresh in everyone's minds.

She swallowed the feeling of contempt she felt for her brother-in-law. Deep down she knew it was misdirected, and supposed to be aimed at the shooter, but he was here and so was the danger. "Thank you for your call, we were able to take cover"

"Okay, that's good. There's obviously a leak here, so I'll move Stevie to another location with round-the-clock security" the professionalism sank away as another pang of guilt ran through his body, "if you don't mind, I'm just going to stay for tonight, just in case Ray Jr wants to-"

"No, that's alright, that's fine, its okay" Yelina rambled, "We're going to be fine" her eyes saw Rick heading out of the doorway. Her attempts at hiding Rick's presence just came crashing down to Earth as Horatio followed her eye-line.

"No, I get it" he said with a humourless chuckle

"Horatio…" he wasn't supposed to find out this way. He wasn't supposed to find out, period.

"Okay, er, so I, alright" what words fitted this situation? "Good night"

Yelina reluctantly left. She was going for Ray, for her son, not for Rick. Would Horatio see that? She looked back. Her eyes bored apologetically into his.

xXx

"You okay, Ray? You want to talk?" Yelina enquired, kissing the top of her sons head again

"No, I'm okay. Is Stevie going to be okay?"

"He's going to be fine. I promise"

Ray nodded.

"Why don't you go get some milk and cookies, huh? We'll stay up late tonight, you fancy?"

"Yeah!" Ray said, running off into the kitchen. Anything to keep him from thinking about the shooting.

"You okay?" Rick asked, enveloping her in his arms.

She sank into him "I'm fine. Its Horatio I'm worried about"

"Horatio? It's Horatio that got you into this mess!" he spat incredulously

"No it wasn't! I didn't have to say yes, I did it for that little boy who just watched his mother shot dead" Yelina snapped

"Are you sure you didn't do it for Horatio?" he said with a patronising tone

"Rick!" her accent accentuated by her heated emotions

"I'm just saying, he's still...hurting after Speed's death. He doesn't know what he's doing. He put another officer at risk"

"No. He put a defenceless young boy in the care of family. He knew I could take care of him. Of course he's still 'hurting'! He watched Speed die! And let me tell you, if Horatio was here? He would have told you that only friends called him Speed"

"What was that supposed to mean?"

"I think you know"

"If you're just going to stick for man who put your son's life at risk, then I don't think I can stay here tonight"

"Fine. Go! Horatio didn't put us at risk. _I _put us at risk. If it wasn't for Horatio's call, we'd all be dead right now"

Rick huffed as grabbed his jacket and stormed out.

"Where's Rick going, mom?" Ray asked, rounding the corner, hands full with goodies

"He – He had to go. It's just us tonight, kiddo. We'll be fine"

"What about Uncle Horatio?"

"What about him?"

"Can he not stay over? Just in case he comes back?"

Yelina smiled and ran a hand through her son's hair, "He should be outside still. Why don't you go ask him?" Ray took off to the door "Ray! Cookies?" she grinned, as he ampled back, relinquishing the goodies and running back out

"Uncle Horatio!" he shouted, running across the lawn

"You alright?" Horatio asked, worried

"Do you wanna stay over tonight? Mom says I can stay up late and watch movies." He leant in to whisper "Rick's gone"

"Okay, partner" he smiled, grabbing onto his nephews shoulders and following him in "You okay with this?" he asked Yelina once inside.

She was placing the milk and cookies on the table, and replied "O'course"

Horatio took off his jacket and sat on the couch. Yelina sat down next to him and leant into his protective embrace. She whispered "I'm sorry"

"Its okay" he replied, smiling.


End file.
